Bulldogs sitting pretty at CWS

If you don't believe that baseball is truly a game of inches, just ask Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs are believers.

After two games at the College World Series, State is about a foot and a half away from being back in Starkville already.

If Oregon State's Danny Hayes had put about another foot on his long fly ball with two out in the bottom of the ninth in Saturday's opener, it would have been a three-run walk-off home run for the Beavers.

And if Jonathan Holder's throw to first base with two out in the bottom of the ninth against Indiana had bounced about six inches in either direction, the ball would have skipped down the right-field line, the Hoosiers would have scored the tying run, and still been batting.

Instead, both plays resulted in the final out that preserved back-to-back 5-4 victories that have put the Bulldogs in excellent shape.

By the time MSU plays again, at 2 p.m. Friday, the Bulldogs will have had three full days off and are just one win away from the championship series.

Pitching galore

What that means for head coach John Cohen is that he has virtually his whole pitching staff available for Friday's game, and for Saturday, if the Bulldogs lose on Friday.

The only guy that might be limited, at least on Friday, would be left-hander Chad Girodo, who went 6 1/3 innings against Indiana on Monday. Otherwise, it's Johnny Allstaff for State.

As we pointed out in this space a week ago, MSU doesn't have that one arm that just dazzles you, the way teams such as LSU, UCLA or even Indiana have. But State has more good arms than any team left in the CWS, and Cohen isn't afraid to use them.

And it is worth noting that MSU is 45-0 when carrying a lead into the ninth inning, where Holder usually comes out and throws a blistering array of fastballs and hard sliders.

In the clutch

Beyond the pitching, State has also benefitted from timely hitting. That's the main reason why the Bulldogs are still playing and tournament favorite LSU is already done.

The Tigers couldn't get that one hit when they had opportunities against UCLA and North Carolina, whereas State has gotten it done in both games.

Against Oregon State, it was big Wes Rea with a two-run double in the eighth inning.

Monday against the Hoosiers, the Dogs got big RBI hits from Demarcus Henderson and Trey Porter.

There is a lot of baseball to be played, and teams have been disappointed after winning early in the CWS.

But right now, Mississippi State is playing as well, if not better, than any team left in Omaha, and is sitting very pretty for the school's first national championship.

Contact Stan Caldwell at (601) 584-3137.

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Bulldogs sitting pretty at CWS

If you don't believe that baseball is truly a game of inches, just ask Mississippi State.